Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-11-11

his position, and went over toward the
spot where Duckworth stood, shifting his
squid and the spokes of the wheel.
Anything wrong for ard, Duckworth?"
shouted Mr.. Marks tentatively. care
they quarrelling, d you Think"
The man glanced down at the distant
open door of the starboard fo'c'sle where
the seamen were quartered and put the
wheel over some half dozen spokes before
replying, which he did without looking up
at the mate: 81 don't know as they are,
sir Maybe it's the bo'sun as is took bad
again and frightenin' of 'em.''
''The bo'sun?' beloved Mr. Marks.
''Why, what's the matter with the
bo'sun?"
II dunno, sir" shouted Duckworth,
stolidly minding his business at the wheel.
s'He was took bad this afternoon-in his
'ead-and said as how he card voices a.
calm of him; and some O. the boys FINED
in, and said as how they 'eard 'em, too,
a-callin' of the bo'sun; and he turned in
at eight bells and damned his 'ead under
the piller to shet out the voices, and
wouldn't turn out again for no one"
Only fragments of Duckworth' IS narrative
reached Mr.. Marks ear, for the din Of the
storm was terrific.
ssVoices?'' shouted Mr.. Marks interrog-
atively. "What d you mean?'
Before Duckworth could shift his quid
to reply, head and pair of shoulders
appeared above the ladder and stopped,
not daring to trespass on the privacy OF
the bridge The mate went over to see
what the man wanted. 1t was the Irish
sailor, and his jolly red round face was
wet with rain and white with fear. He
was dressed only in trousers and shirt,
and the latter was unbuttoned and Tapping
in the wind.
''What do you want here?" shouted Mr..
Marks, savagely, irritated by these irreg-.
ularities. "And what are you men up to
in the fo'c'sle? Do you want to get your
selves reported to the cap'n?"
CAV We phase, sorr," shouted the Irish
man huskily, ''the boys asked me to come
and tell We there's sperrits aboard, and the
bo'sun's clane gone mad"
The mate caught the word ''sperrits,"
and jumped to the conclusion that the men
had struggled some liquor on board
and were drinking themselves crazy
"Spirits?" he roared back. (Which of
you has got 'em?"
The man shook his head. cts not
them sperrits, sorr, worse luck-it's
voices; and the bo'sun's clane gone mad.
For the love av heaven, Mr.. Marks, come
for'ard and spake word to the boys"
Telling Duckworth to keep sharp look
out ahead while he was away, the mate
ran quickly down to the deck, with Grady
at his heels. 1t needed good pair of sea
legs to avoid being wrecked against the
hatchways or capsized into the scuppers.
They had almost reached the fo'c'sle,
when suddenly the mate felt his arm
grabbed by the Irishman, and, turning on
him, saw Grady's face ablaze with excite
ment "Did We hear that, sorr?" cried
the man. tits them sperrits again
There, SORT, just listen to that!"
If Mr.. Marks hearing had been as keen
as his sight, he might have been more i'm
pressed by the cry, wild with seeming
agony and faint with distance, which pen
etrated even the roar of the wind and the
ceaseless thunder of the sea. But Mr..
Marks hearing had been damaged by par
tial drowning off the coast Of Spain, and
though he listened intently, he heard no
voices except those of the ocean and the
air Naturally concluding that Grady
was drunk, he laid hold of the man by his
beard and shirt collar, and, shaking him
savagely, flung him down, aided by lee
ward roll of the ship, under the wheels of
the donkey engine, and almost toppled
after his victim himself. In no palaver-
ing mood, he went on to the fo'c's1e and
stepped inside. 1t was very evident that
there was something wrong with the crew.
The men were huddled together by the
stove, some in steaming oilskins, some
only in shirts and trousers, all looking
scared and all silent. In the middle OF
Hhe place Dredge, the bosun, Stood half
clothed, with queer, wild expression on
his gnarled face, listening hard for some
thing or other. Theeyes Of the men were
all fixed on him. As Mr.. Marks stepped
in out of the wind and rain, the bo'sun
shouted hoarsely: CLARK, lads! He's
calm of me again! It's limits Billr
This time the mate heard the cry, OF
thought he heard il, for it was very dis
tant, and was carried away again in the
thunder of the gale. But he elbowed the
idea aside roughly; twas so impossible
for any human being al1oat on such sea
to make himself heard above the roar Of
the storm ''What's ali this tomfoolery
about?'' he demanded of the men, angrily
"And what's the matter with you, bo'sun
You ought to be ashamed of yourself
playing the fool in this way. Bo'sunr'
But the bo'sun heard nothing of the
reprimand He was eagerly listening fol
the recurrence of that cry, mis- fists were
clenched, and the veins on his throat
stood out like cords. And when thai
sound of human agony came wailing ou
of the storm again, his battered face Iii
up with passion OF love, and crying
aloud, cts Bill! it's Bill! I'm comm
lad, I'm comin'' he made bolt for thu
deck; but Mr. Marks stopped him, ant
tnerothor or1,y, n
men pulled Dredge off the mate, an(
helped the latter to his feet.
ssThe mans drunk or mad, gasped Mr.
Marks, fetching his breath heavily afte
the shock-Dredge had retreated up thu
c'sle-'smad or drunk. How has h
come by the liquor? And who's this Bill
he's raving about"
t'Bill's his on'y son, sir" said one Q
the men in scared way. 'And the la
warn't well when we come out O. port
and bo'sun he thinks as he hears the la
calm of him for to help him or suthin
Nor it's not all tvmmyrot neither, MI
Marks, for we've heard them voices our
selves Haven't we, boys?"
cay, ay," chorused the men, Vaughn
their heads; ''heard 'em ourselves, W
have, and more nor once"
But us he had been absent already ia
too long from his post, and as it was be
meath his dignity to handy argument
with the crew, Mr.. Marks pooh poohe
/ che matter; and after warning them
keep an eye on Dredge, and not to dare
near any more ghostly voices at thei
peril, went aft again I'd the bridge.
When the second mate relieved him
s o'clock he recounted briefly what ha
happened, and advised Mr.. Bubble to kee
sharp lookout Oh the fo'c'sle, and if an
further commotion occurred to let til
cap'n know at once. Mr.. Bubble ha
quite forgotten the incident which had o.
Cured in the chief mates watch, and
was beginning to long for his bunk whe
he was startled out Of his drowsy con
placency by the sound of a wailing CT.
thin and distant and agonized, which til
wind seemed to bring to his ears out
the storm and the night. The man at til
wheel had heard it, too, and turned
frightened face on the mate. Lord say
! usH' exclaimed the man, ''it's that thel
voice again"
The words were hardly spoken whe
the door of the fo'c'sle was flung back an
crowd of figures swarmed out on decl
: Then the door of the firemen's quarter
ont wit